OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Tuesday 2.15pm.
THE chief organisers of South Africa’s bid for the 2006 World Cup finals declared on Monday that they are looking for “moral support” from the Organisation of African Unity.
“We are not coming here to obtain the endorsement of the OAU but to present our case that the OAU must recognise that 2006 is Africa’s turn,” said committee executive Danny Jordan.
“Polictically we need this moral support,” added South African ambassador Kingsley Mamabolo.
The world governing body FIFA, whose President Sepp Blatter is firmly in favour of rotating the finals by continents, recently announced how impressed they were by South Africa’s bid who are competing with Germany, England, Brazil and Morocco for the rights to host the world’s biggest sporting event.
“During 17 World Cups and over a century, Africa has not had a chance but we now think it is Africa’s turn. Not out of charity but because we deserve it,” said Jordaan.
FIFA will announce the winner at a meeting in Zurich on July 6.